This research presents a reliable method for extracting nutritionally valuable fish protein and oils from otherwise hard to process fish and its byproducts. Replacing the traditionally used strong acids with organic acids might further accomplish bacterial load reduction while resulting in similar to or improved protein recovery yields. Therefore, this technology may increase the commercial viability of hard to process fish.

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Gels made from ISP-recovered silver carp protein using organic acids show potential for use as a functional ingredient in restructured foods.

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During mechanical fish processing, a substantial amount of protein is discarded as by-products. Isoelectric solubilization and precipitation (ISP) is a process that uses extreme pH shifts to solubilize and precipitate protein from by-products to recover previously discarded protein. Typically, strong acids are used for pH reduction, but these acids do not have a pasteurization effect (6 log reduction) on bacterial load; therefore, organic acids were used during ISP processing to test the impact on Listeria innocua concentrations. Headed and gutted rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were inoculated with L. innocua, homogenized, and brought to the target pH with granular citric acid (pH 2.0 and 2.5) or glacial acetic acid (pH 3.0 and 3.5). Proteins were solubilized for 10 min at 4°C, and insoluble components (e.g., skin and insoluble protein) were removed by centrifugation. The remaining solution was pH shifted to the protein isoelectric point (pH 5.5) with sodium hydroxide, and precipitated protein was separated from the water. Microbial cells for each component (proteins, insolubles, and water) were enumerated on modified Oxford agar (MOX) and tryptic soy agar with 6% yeast extract (TSAYE). The sums of the surviving cells from each component were compared with the initial inoculum levels. No significant differences were observed between results obtained from TSAYE and from MOX (P > 0.05). Significant reductions in microbial populations were detected, regardless of pH or acid type (P < 0.05). The greatest reduction was at pH 3.0 with glacial acetic acid, resulting in a mean reduction of 6.41 log CFU/g in the recovered protein and 5.88 log CFU/g in the combined components. These results demonstrate the antimicrobial potential of organic acids in ISP processing.